Exhaust manifold cracked

[kis86]

I kept hearing an exhaust leak in the Jeep, and it's gotten worse since owning it so I decided to have Exhaust Pros take a look (no charge to figure out the problem). They took it in, and told me "the manifold is cracked and needs replacing" It's going to be 300+ for the manifold plus 300+ for labor, for a total of 650+ dollars to fix.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Yea right. A brand new oem replacement is only 150 bucks :roll: and I don't even have the oem one in there. The one on is a Banks TorqueTube.

Am I correct in thinking:

A. Aftermarket manifolds crack along the weld lines since there isn't any flex and they aren't cast, and therefore can just be welded to fix, and...

B. They tried to rape me???

grrrr

 

[SteelHeadz]

I kept hearing an exhaust leak in the Jeep, and it's gotten worse since owning it so I decided to have Exhaust Pros take a look (no charge to figure out the problem). They took it in, and told me "the manifold is cracked and needs replacing" It's going to be 300+ for the manifold plus 300+ for labor, for a total of 650+ dollars to fix.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Yea right. A brand new oem replacement is only 150 bucks :roll: and I don't even have the oem one in there. The one on is a Banks TorqueTube.

Am I correct in thinking:

A. Aftermarket manifolds crack along the weld lines since there isn't any flex and they aren't cast, and therefore can just be welded to fix, and...

B. They tried to rape me???

grrrr

Welding the Crack will only be a Bandaid, it will crack again. Chrysler has since made a revision on the exaust manifold design with a flex tubes on both ends of the manifold. They've been holding up very well. and dont forget to also replace the gasket. $650.00 for repairs is a bit much..

 

[kis86]

The one on there is aftermarket (banks), so is there any way to fix it...weld in flex tubes or anything like that?

I'll install the new one or fix the old one myself...welding with some help, so mainly it's the cost of parts. It's just that the one on there is a 400+ dollar manifold so I'd like to fix it rather than replace it.

 

[SteelHeadz]

The one on there is aftermarket (banks), so is there any way to fix it...weld in flex tubes or anything like that?

I'll install the new one or fix the old one myself...welding with some help, so mainly it's the cost of parts. It's just that the one on there is a 400+ dollar manifold so I'd like to fix it rather than replace it.

I've never heard of anyone welding on the flex tubes themselves, especially if it's a Cast iron design. if it's a Mandrel bent maniflod, it's possible.

 

[kis86]

It's a stainless steel manifold...could I just weld to fix it for now? Why would something be sold for that amount of money if it's destined to break??

 

[SteelHeadz]

It's a stainless steel manifold...could I just weld to fix it for now? Why would something be sold for that amount of money if it's destined to break??

That's even worse. Stainless Steel is strong but brittle. you can try to get it welded for now , but there's no telling how long it would last.

 

[Jeeper99]

You need to take that header off and get someone to Tig weld it. I used the ER308 stainless rods at work for quite a bit of Stainless Tig welds and repairs. (Machine Shop) I would imagine it should hold up at least for a while. Odd that it is cracked though. Could have been a bad place in the steel or even the weld bead.

 

[JeepMonkey]

Have you called Banks? If there is a # on the tube somewhere they may be able to replace it for you if it was under their warranty.

 

[kis86]

That might be an idea, to get it replaced...but what kind of design something that inevitably breaks? For something that needs to flex...why design something that can't hold up to any flexing??? Original equipment has areas that absorb the movement...seems like a better idea.

 

[Crazy4diesels]

The later ones use a two piece manifold. There's a front manifold and a rear one. The front does the front three cylinders and the rear does the back three. Then they feed into a Y pipe. I bet you could use those on an earlier engine and just make up your own Y pipe (the factory one has the two primary cats in it - expensive). The manifolds just end in a flange so a shop could easily fab up a Y pipe. One other trick - Don't overtighten the manifold-to-head nuts. On the old Chrysler flatheads I just snugged them up (they also used a special brass washer to allow for movement). Best of luck - John

 

[beto31]

have you fixed your problem? i have a similar one and i honestly dont know what to do

 

[kis86]

I'm still trying to decide what to do. The one on the Jeep now is a Banks TorqueTube manifold, welded stainless steel and very expensive. I can get it re-welded, or I can buy an oe manifold with built in flex pipes on eBay for 60 bucks. I'm still really confused as to why someone who produce a manifold, like the Banks one, that will inevitably crack at the weld spots due to lack of flex in the metal. Why is it such a "nice" and expensive part if it just plain doesn't work? What's the point? Ugh lol

If the Banks one is better as you would assume from the price, I'd like to keep it. However, I just don't get the design behind it.

 

[SteelHeadz]

IMO, a $60.00 revised exaust maniflod with no cracks is far beeter than an expensive aftermarket stainless steel cracked manifold that is a lot more brittle. Even after it's welded on the cracks, it's structural integrity is already compromised.

 

[kis86]

It cracked right around one of the original weld lines, so that makes me think it's something that would happen to them all the time. Is this common in aftermarket manifolds, or was mine not made correctly?

 

[jps4jeep]

The reason why these crack is the LACK of flex joints on the original and aftermarket systems. Honestly, Honda and toyota had it right, they put a flex pipe right after the collector and the manifolds last for ever. If your re-habbing your exhaust, I suggest adding a flex pipe inbetween the manifold and down pipe or a fex joint which will replace the collector flange with one that has little springs on it, not quite as good, but better than nothing.

 

[kis86]

Any idea why a 400 dollar manifold has an obviously horrible flaw? Why would anyone buy this thing if the oe one is much better? I feel like I'm missing something here...

 

[SteelHeadz]

Lack of research or testing maybe?. The type of steel would account for it's price difference and the name of the manufacturer. The failure could also be caused by improper installation, i.e. improper torque on the manifold bolts.

 

[kis86]

Ok, now I'm satisfied just wanted to know I wasn't missing some major piece of the puzzle here. New oe manifold it is, with nice flexpipes.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Not all Banks 4.0 manifolds crack. You can get yours replaced for free if you contact Banks. Maybe something to consider, then you can sell it. Not all 4.0's are prone to cracking manifolds so it may work well for someone else.

 

[kis86]

Thanks Bounty_Hunter! I'll see if they'll replace it on warranty and just get the stock one for myself